Her special blend of Ipoh coffee has people hooked

Phan sells both white black and white coffee. Photos: The Star/N. Rama Lohan

The smell of coffee wafting through the air. Now, that’s a general reception for regulars at the countless cafes that have sprung up since the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Starbucks revolution. And, of course, before the social media generation, this was also a familiar scent at coffee shops with ceramic cups and saucers and marble top tables in most parts of Malaysia.

But at the fringes of Pasar Besar Ipoh, the central market in Ipoh, right smack in the middle of town, that familiar scent lingers in the air, too. Now limited to just a clutch of stalls, coffee sellers continue to ply a trade that seems to be losing its footing in this fast-paced world – once upon a time, there was an entire row of them.